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 June Dudley Art
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Below is a personal biography of artist June Dudley in her own words.
"I will start out by telling you a little about my personal life. I am a
country girl, always have been and always will be. I just happen to be a
country girl whose life revolves around art. Painting is all I have ever
wanted to do for as long as I can remember even though life’s roads sometimes
lead me other places. One of the shows I was in had a Rick Jackson bronze
in it which reminded me so much of my dad. I told him, 'My dad is
just a cowboy', and he said, 'No, he is not JUST a cowboy!' That really hit
home to me. What a great way to grow up, being the daughter of a cowboy
and a homemaker. I spent many hours following my dad around our
4,000 acre ranch and not just as an onlooker either, but helping
Daddy work cattle, build pens and fences, baling hay, clearing land,
hunting, fishing, swimming, and just enjoying life. Those were the
things I loved doing.
"Anything in the house I hated doing. The outdoors
was my world, and it instilled in me a deep love of the land, which I am
told comes through in my paintings. Being one of two girls my parents
had, we were and still are both tomboys loving every minute of it.
I got married at an early age and my husband and I both attended college
and received our degrees. He became a coach, and I became a teacher,
putting my love of art on the back shelf to help earn a living and to
raise our three children, Mark, Marsha, and Craig. Art was never put
totally aside though because I always painted during the summer and any
other time when I could. However, there wasn’t much time for art raising
three children, being a coach’s wife, teaching, and being involved in
church and all the other extracurricular activities involving our family.
"I taught several different subjects in middle school during my l8 year
teaching career before quitting to pursue my lifelong dream to be an
artist, but I primarily taught art and math. My school district
participated in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo School Art Program
where I met the artist who was to be a major influence on my art.
I had been searching for someone to study with who was really
good in art. Southwest Art had done an article on Bob Wygant featuring
him on their cover. I did not even know who he was, but I loved his
paintings. I had read the article a number of times and underlined
many things in it. I looked him up in the Houston phone directory,
but never had the nerve to call to see if I could study with him.
I guess God had providentially planned for our paths to cross
because Bob was one of the judges at our local Houston Livestock
School Art show. He looked at some of my paintings and invited me
to participate in one of his workshops. Actually, I think all he
saw in those early paintings was desire and love of subject matter.
That was the beginning of many hours of instruction and direction
that eventually opened many doors for me.
"After a few years of studying with Bob and eighteen years of teaching, my
parents retired from ranching turning my half of the ranch and cattle over
to my husband and me. My desire to become a full-fledged artist and having
the ranch to fall back on enabled me to quit teaching and devote full time
to my art. This was a dream come true for me. I believe God instilled this
deep desire in me and has given me the talent to go along with it plus
opening up doors along the way. My job is to do the best that I can to
fulfill His purpose in me. I am often told that people can feel or see
the presence of God in my work. My husband, Richard, and I live on the
ranch, a mile off the county road, and this is where I have my studio.
It is a beautiful setting with a lake behind the house and studio and
wildlife, cattle, and horses around us. Located in Central Texas halfway
between Austin and Houston, it is a great country setting. I love it
because my inspiration is all around me, and it is land I grew up on
and that has been in my family for over l00 years. In fact, in
January 2000 my whole family went to Austin, the capitol of Texas,
where the Heritage Land Foundation of Texas recognized us because our
land has been in our family for l00 years, and it is documented. I
feel like I have a very rich heritage that has been handed down to me,
one I hope I can pass on through my art.
"We now have seven grandchildren ranging in ages from 2 to 15 years with
one more on the way due in Dec. 2000. Our daughter, Marsha, and Eddie have
three children, Chance, Braxton, and Kelsey. Marsha is a teacher and Eddie
a game warden. Our son, Mark, is a builder, and he and Deanie have three
children, Megan, Drew, and Taylor. Our youngest son, Craig is a police officer
and rancher. He and Rachelle have one daughter, Madelyn, and one on the way.
Rachelle and Deanie both are accountants at Texas A&M University.
"I have received numerous awards and honors that are all included on my resume.
Some of the highlights are the Bosque County Conservatory of Fine Art $5000
fellowship I was awarded in l989 by Tony Altermann & Joyce Jones. The night
the awards were presented will always be a major highlight in my art career
because it was all I dreamed it could be and more. I vividly remember driving
up to Clifton that evening with my husband and Bob Wygant, both of whom are
always there to encourage and support me. Bob asked what it would take to
make me happy, and I responded that I wanted to win the fellowship and gold
medals on my paintings. They both laughed. However, I did receive the first
ever $5000 John Steven Jones Fellowship Award, three Best of Shows, the
Judges Award for $500, and the Popular Choice Award. It was a
night to be remembered!
"In 1995 ArtBeats, now known as New York Graphic Society, started printing my
work. They have now printed 21 different images with Morning Stroll being no.
l3 in their top 20 selling prints. It was also featured on the cover of their
supplement the first time they ever printed my work which was a first I am told
by them to put a first time artist with them on one of their catalog covers.
"I am very passionate about my art. I love painting! I love my subject matter!
I describe my paintings as poetic landscapes. My colors are somewhat impressionistic
and my scenes are realistic so I describe my work as impressionistic realism.
I receive innumerable comments on my use of color, lighting, subject matter,
detail, and my figures. All of the figures in my paintings are either family
or very close friends. I am often told that my paintings leave the viewers
with a peaceful feeling. I believe that my feelings and love for what I
paint shows in my paintings. I don’t know how this passion flows through
my brushes onto my canvases, but it does. Somehow my passion for art shows
through my work. I have many people tell me they can see and feel it.
"Howard Terpning had this to say about my work. He said that I
had a very sensitive sense of color and he could tell I had strong
feelings about my subject matter. In the July/August 1994 issue of
ART OF THE WEST I was one of the artists who was selected for their
Artists’ Preview. This is where they select several artists
to watch and I was one of the lucky ones. The rest of the information
about my art career is included in my resume."--- June Dudley
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